I heard Knopfler wrote the song after a former girlfriend of his, Holly Vincent, was dismissive about their relationship ("used to have a scene with him") in an interview. So there's an element of that in the song, using Romeo and Juliet (and West Side Story, which is loosely based on the play - the "movie song" in question, "Somewhere", includes the line "there's a place for us") as a frame ("come up on different streets", "underneath the window") for the story.
"My Boyfriend's Back" is a song by The Angels, and if memory serves me right goes something along the lines of "stop pestering me or he'll clobber ya" which makes perfect sense in the context of the song.
So, ah, Romeo (I'll say "he" for simplicity) and Juliet are going out together, she doesn't think he's good enough - he "can't do the talk" and she's distracted by those "pretty strangers" anyway (although it's not clear if they're pre- or post- breakup); they break up. Now he still loves her, and if he can't sing it "the way it's meant to be", well, he can certainly sing it good.
I find the "whatcha gonna do about it" line very ambiguous. She could be asking him up or she could be telling him to get lost, it's hard to tell (and no clearer in either of the D.S. versions I've heard).
I heard Knopfler wrote the song after a former girlfriend of his, Holly Vincent, was dismissive about their relationship ("used to have a scene with him") in an interview. So there's an element of that in the song, using Romeo and Juliet (and West Side Story, which is loosely based on the play - the "movie song" in question, "Somewhere", includes the line "there's a place for us") as a frame ("come up on different streets", "underneath the window") for the story.
"My Boyfriend's Back" is a song by The Angels, and if memory serves me right goes something along the lines of "stop pestering me or he'll clobber ya" which makes perfect sense in the context of the song.
So, ah, Romeo (I'll say "he" for simplicity) and Juliet are going out together, she doesn't think he's good enough - he "can't do the talk" and she's distracted by those "pretty strangers" anyway (although it's not clear if they're pre- or post- breakup); they break up. Now he still loves her, and if he can't sing it "the way it's meant to be", well, he can certainly sing it good.
I find the "whatcha gonna do about it" line very ambiguous. She could be asking him up or she could be telling him to get lost, it's hard to tell (and no clearer in either of the D.S. versions I've heard).
It's a great song.